1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ear irrigation device and to a method of irrigating a person's ear and, more particularly, is concerned with a device and method for discharging water from a nozzle into a person's ear.
2. Description of the Related Art
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,899, issued May 10, 1994 to Irwin A. Ginsberg, there is disclosed a system for cleansing a patient's ear which has a portable applicator comprising a hand piece and a nozzle for insertion into the patient's ear for discharging a flow of liquid into the ear, a control unit provided with a heater, and a controller for maintaining the temperature of the liquid within certain limits and for limiting the pressure of the liquid and varying the flow rate of the liquid.
The control unit varies a flow rate signal to solenoid valves controlling the flow output of a pump to the nozzle. More particularly, the control unit receives an output signal from a potentiometer in the handpiece, in response to manual displacement of a plunger. The control unit then generates an appropriate command to the solenoid valves, which will open to provide a controlled pressure flow and flow-rate and, further, can operate in rhythmic fashion to provide a pulsing flow to the handpiece.
It is a disadvantage of this prior system that the pressure and flow rate are controlled by the mount of manual displacement of the plunger and may therefore inadvertently be caused to be excessive, at the start of the ear irrigation, by undue displacement of the plunger.
The present invention is based on an appreciation of the fact that the ear drum of a person's ear is normally in a relaxed state. However, when the ear drum is impinged by a pressure, for example a loud soundwave, the ear drum automatically tightens. It is not only uncomfortable, but also dangerous, to impinge the ear drum, while it is in its relaxed state, by a relatively high pressure.